Aug. 31, 2002

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• For just the second time in the 114-year history of Notre Dame football, the Irish are selecting captains on a game-by-game basis. The only other time Notre Dame chose captains in this fashion was 1946 under legendary head coach Frank Leahy. Tonight’s Irish captains were: WR Arnaz Battle, C Jeff Faine, CB Shane Walton and DE Ryan Roberts.

• Notre Dame won the toss and deferred its choice to the second half. Maryland elected to receive and defend the East goal.

• Counting postseason play, Notre Dame has now had its last 112 games televised on one of four networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN), a stretch going back more than eight full seasons. The last time the Irish didn’t appear on one of those four networks was Oct. 31, 1992, when they defeated Navy, 38-7, at Giants Stadium. That game was only shown locally in South Bend on WNDU-TV.

• Notre Dame defeats a ranked team for the first time since a last-second 23-21 win over 13th-ranked Purdue on Sept. 16, 2000.

• Notre Dame notches its first shutout since a 30-0 whitewashing of Navy in 1998. It’s also the first Irish shutout of a ranked opponent since a 7-0 win over #5 Alabama on Nov. 15, 1980 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.

• Notre Dame records its 14th season-opening win in the last 16 seasons. It’s also the first Irish season-opening victory away from home since a 14-7 conquest at Vanderbilt on Sept. 5, 1996 (also the last time Notre Dame opened the season with a night victory).

• Notre Dame breaks an eight-game losing streak in night games, earning its first victory under the lights since a last-second 23-22 win at Hawaii on Nov. 29, 1997.

• In its 114-year football history, Notre Dame is now 3-0 in the month of August, 10-0 at Giants Stadium and 13-0 in the state of New Jersey.

• Notre Dame picks up its first win over an ACC opponent since a 17-13 victory over Georgia Tech on Sept. 6, 1997. The Irish are now 47-11-1 (.805) all-time against the ACC, the second-best mark vs. a major Division I-A conference, and 6-0 against the ACC in season openers.

• Notre Dame is now 24-3 (.889) in its first game under a new head coach. Only Frank E. Hering in 1896 (4-0 loss to Chicago Physicians & Surgeons), Elmer Layden in 1934 (7-6 loss to Texas) and Lou Holtz in 1986 (24-23 loss to Michigan) failed to win their first game at the helm of the Irish.

• Notre Dame’s Tyrone Willingham is the first Irish head coach to record a shutout in his debut game since Terry Brennan piloted Notre Dame to a 21-0 win over Texas on Sept. 25, 1954.

• Senior PK Nicholas Setta kicked a career-long 51-yard field goal in the first quarter, tying the Kickoff Classic record set by Georgia Tech’s Scott Sisson vs. Penn State in 1991. Setta’s previous career long FG was a 47-yard boot, which he accomplished three times (last: at Purdue, 2001).

• With his first-quarter field goal, Setta has now kicked at least one field goal in 14 consecutive games, extending his school record.

• Setta tied a school record and set a new Kickoff Classic standard with his five field goals tonight. Craig Hentrich also booted a school-record five FG vs. Miami in 1990. Setta’s six FG attempts also set a Kickoff Classic record and were one off the Notre Dame record (7 by Gus Dorais vs. Texas, 1913).

• Senior CB Shane Walton set a Kickoff Classic record and tied a school record with three interceptions this evening. Walton is the 13th Irish player to collect three picks in a game, and the first since Dave Duerson turned the trick vs. Navy in 1982.

• Junior QB Carlyle Holiday threw for a career-high 226 yards tonight. His previous career best was 146 yards against Tennessee in 2001.

• Eight different Notre Dame receivers caught passes this evening, the most since eight Irish players had receptions vs. Purdue in 2000.

• Junior Vontez Duff became the first player in Kickoff Classic history to return a punt for a touchdown, going 76 yards for a score in the third quarter. Duff’s runback also was the longest punt return by an Irish player since Joey Getherall registered an 83-yard punt return for a score vs. Nebraska in 2000.

• Duff’s punt return for a TD was the first against Maryland since Clemson’s Darnell Stephens went 89 yards on Nov. 15, 1991. It also marks the second consecutive game in which Duff has brought a kick back for a TD (96-yard kickoff return at Purdue, 2001).